Arctic blast shuts schools in Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Schools were closed across Ohio and officials warned people to stay inside if possible Monday as the state braced for a blast of dangerously cold weather.

Ohio State University, University of Cincinnati, Miami University and the University of Toledo also closed Monday as temperatures in the state were expected to be the coldest in more than two decades. Ohio State, the state's largest university, hasn't shut down because of the cold since 1994.

The arctic blast was coming as Toledo and northwest Ohio were digging out from a storm that dumped more than 8 inches of snow on the area Sunday and early Monday.

Snow emergencies were in effect in Hancock, Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Lucas and Wood counties, with school and most local activities canceled for Monday. Much of the rest of the state also got several inches of snow overnight, making for a messy commute for those who braved the weather and went to work.

Forecasters say low temperatures around zero -- with possible wind chill factors of 40 below zero -- are possible through Wednesday. The entire state was under a rare wind-chill warning, which means frostbite could affect exposed skin within 10 minutes outside.

And the highs aren't expected to get out of single digits.

Many flights at the state's major airports were delayed or canceled. Most of the arrivals and departures from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport were scratched Monday morning.

The Ohio Emergency Management Agency warned people to stay inside Monday if possible, check on their neighbors and make sure fireplaces and other heating sources are properly vented.

The cold snap is due to "polar cortex" that descended into much of the U.S. on Monday, bringing dangerous cold that could break decades-old records and wind chill warnings stretching from Montana to Alabama.